Manager lived 'high life' on charity cash

A Charity manager who stole £150,000 intended to help disabled children was jailed for two years and nine months yesterday.

John Cunningham rented a flat in the Sandbanks area of Poole, Dorset, and bought fast cars, two motorbikes and flying lessons with the money he stole from Scope's bank account.

The 35-year-old finance manager left his salary untouched as he cashed cheques and created false invoices to cover his tracks.

He told colleagues he had business interests elsewhere to explain his extravagant lifestyle, but turned himself in at Poole police station in January 2007 claiming he was suffering a mid-life crisis.

Cunningham, a father of two who left his wife for a younger colleague, started as finance manager for the charity, which helps children and adults with cerebral palsy, in October 2003 and began stealing six months later, regularly cashing cheques over a 21-month period.

He began stealing a few hundreds pounds a month but, when he realised he was getting away with it, stole up to £4,000 a week.

Jailing him at Bournemouth Crown Court, Judge John Beashel also imposed a confiscation order and told Cunningham he would have to pay the charity compensation.

He added: "People trusted you to look after the money and you seriously betrayed such trust by stealing money donated by people for charitable purposes."

Paul Barnard, the chief executive of Dorset Scope, said the shock of discovering Cunningham's theft was "almost too great to bear".